Murrell was one of the best liked figures in Scottish politicspublished at 10:58 BST

10:58 BST

Kirsten Campbell
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Until his arrest Peter Murrell was not a household name.

His unassuming demeanour helped him stay in the background while Nicola Sturgeon took centre-stage.

Yet he was one of the best liked figures in Scottish politics.

Journalists found him to be helpful, friendly and co-operative, particularly during party conferences.

It would be Murrell who would facilitate early morning or late night access to the venue for live broadcasts and who would gossip with the media while his now-estranged wife did the broadcast rounds.

The narrative set out in court today explains how he covered up his astonishing spending spree. We're still none the wiser about why he did it.

Aimee Stanton
BBC Scotland Data Visualisation team

Murrell's embezzling began in 2010 and continued until 2022.

His shopping habit ramped up in the years following the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, rising to a peak in 2020 when more than 200 purchases were made.

The spending totalled over £150,000, with the motorhome making up the bulk of the value.

David Henderson
Scotland news correspondent

Normally, after the guilty party's crimes have been read out in court, the defence would stand up and present a plea in mitigation - the case for leniency.

They'd emphasise the early guilty plea, his age, his clean record, any remorse, and argue for the shortest possible sentence.

After that, the judge would pass sentence.

But that didn't happen today.

The judge, Lord Young, wants a criminal justice social work report before sentencing - an assessment of Murrell's background, circumstances and risk.

These normally take three to four weeks to prepare.

He ordered one last week - so the case has been "continued" for reports, with the mitigation and sentencing expected at a hearing on 23 June.

There's a tactical dimension too.

Murrell’s defence team may actually prefer a gap between the narrative and the mitigation - letting the shock of the detail settle, before trying to reframe the story.

Nobody would want to plead for sympathy straight after the court has heard about the embezzlement of salt and pepper grinders costing £2,618.

The Crown has also released photos of an ornate wine coaster with thistles on it and a robotic lawnmower.

These are included in a full list of items bought by Murrell which you can read here.

Image source, COPFS

Image source, COPFS

During the court hearing we heard some of the biggest transactions that Murrell made using SNP funds, ranging from motorhomes to Amazon purchases.

Here are some examples:

• A motorhome worth £124,550 was ordered by Murrell in October 2020 and was later driven to his mother's address, where it remained until it was seized
• Murrell also brought a Volkswagen vehicle in 2016 for £32,989 before later trading it for a Jaguar I-PACE costing £81,277
• He used his SNP card to pay for a £30 parking ticket that he received at a hospital in Kirkcaldy in 2019
• Among the other items listed included were coffee machines worth £8,991.65
• Murrell also made 383 Amazon purchases costing £42,660.74 which were not for party purposes

Paul O'Hare
at the High Court in Edinburgh

Murrell has left the court in the back of a white GeoAmey prison van.

He will return on 23 June for sentencing.

The Crown Office have just released photos of some of the items confiscated by police.

This includes the now infamous motorhome, which still has cellophane on the interior.

Image source, COPFS

Image source, COPFS

Image source, COPFS

Here are the key points and what we learned from that hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh

• Peter Murrell first instructed his lawyers to discuss a guilty plea over a charge of embezzlement in March 2026 – weeks after being served with a dossier of evidence
• Murrell embezzled a total of £400,310.65 from an SNP bank account he had control of containing funds from membership fees, party donations and legacy payments
• The party’s former chief executive used his SNP charge card, and those of two other staff members to make purchases, as well as direct bank transfers
• Murrell spent more than £9,000 on two watches – which were falsely recorded in party accounting software as “event merchandise”
• He made 383 purchases from online retailer Amazon, totalling £42,660.74, which were delivered to Murrell’s home, party headquarters and the addresses of family members
• A further 238 purchases were made using SNP cards from other retailers between June 2015 and June 2022
• An SNP card was used to pay for a parking ticket accrued by Murrell outside the Victoria hospital in Kirkcaldy
• He created false invoices for an “Apple processor” and “studio light fittings” valued at more than £14,000
• A police search of Murrell’s home found part of that sum was spent on garden equipment, found in the garage, and a £2,055 doorbell, which was not recovered
• Murrell spent £16,498 of SNP money to pay off the balance of a Volkswagen Golf
• He used fraudulent expense claims to fund the £12,000 deposit on a Jaguar I-PACE costing a total of £81,000
• False invoices were then created to pay the balance on that car
• A £124,550 motorhome was bought by Murrell in October 2020, paid for by funds from an SNP bank account
• That was delivered to an industrial estate, then driven by Murrell to his mother’s house until being seized by police in April 2023. It had only been driven four miles
• Murrell will be sentenced on 23 June

Paul O'Hare
at the High Court in Edinburgh

The half-hour hearing gave a remarkable insight into how Murrell covered his tracks with false claims, using bogus invoices and misleading entries on the party’s accounting software.

There were many unknown nuggets to digest but a stand out was that the infamous motorhome only had four miles on the clock - after it had been picked up and driven to Murrell's mother’s home in Dunfermline, Fife.

It remained there from January 2021 until it was seized in April 2023.

Paul O'Hare
at the High Court in Edinburgh

Lord Young adjourned the case for two weeks.

Murrell bowed his head at the judge as he stood up and then turned to his right to allow the guard to put on his handcuffs.

He was then led from the dock to a side door.

As with his arrival, he does not look in the direction of the public gallery.

Paul O'Hare
at the High Court in Edinburgh

John Scullion KC - Murrell's lawyer - told the court he will reserve his plea in mitigation until Murrell is sentenced on 23 June.

He also confirmed that a proceeds of crime restraint order was served on the former SNP chief executive on 5 June 2024.

The findings of a social work examination report on Murrell will be submitted to the judge ahead of sentencing.

Advocate Depute Alan Cameron KC describes how Murrell was arrested and charged.

He says that complaints were first made in March 2021 and the police began to investigate.

Police issued search warrants on 5 April 2023 at Murrell's home address and the SNP's headquarters.

The motorhome was also seized from his mother's driveway.

Murrell was arrested and taken to Falkirk police office where he was interviewed. He said "no comment" to all questions before being released from custody.

Then on 18 April 2024 he returned to Falkirk police office where he was arrested and again interviewed.

At the end of the interview he was charged with embezzlement before being released from custody.

The lawyer describes how Murrell ordered a new motorhome on 14 October 2020.

Murrell made three separate payments as a deposit with his SNP charge card, and the balance was paid in four direct transfers from the SNP bank account.

It was delivered to an address at an industrial estate, and then driven by Murrell to his mother's address, where it remained until it was seized by police officers on 5 April 2023.

When it was seized, the odometer showed that the vehicle had only ever been driven for four miles.

Murrell created a false invoice in the name of the motorhome dealer, with the customer address listed as the SNP headquarters, rather than his home address, which was what he had provided to the dealer.

A significant proportion of the overall spending relates to three vehicles bought for Murrell’s own use.

The first was a Volkswagen bought in 2016 for £32,989. Murrell paid a deposit for the car with his own money and also traded in another car towards this.

The balance of £16,489 was paid for by “direct transfer” for the SNP account.

In 2019, he traded this car in for a Jaguar I-PACE costing £81,277.

He paid a £12,000 deposit from his own bank account, but this money was said to have come from fraudulent expense claims he had submitted to the party.

He then made two direct transfers from the SNP account to pay the balance, creating a false invoice for the car dealership calling the money a “stage payment”.

"He was not entitled to a company car through his CEO role,” the lawyer confirmed.

It is believed that this is the first time this stage of a criminal legal process - a narrative hearing - has been live-streamed and filmed in a UK court.

Here is Peter Murrell sitting in the dock as the details of his crimes were read out.

Paul O'Hare
at the High Court in Edinburgh

Covering a major court case is a fast-paced experience for any reporter.

But it is worth taking a second to appreciate the enormity of what we are witnessing.

Peter Murrell was a key figure at the heart of the SNP and one of the main architects in a stunning period of electoral success.

But from 2010 to 2022 we now know the 61-year-old embezzled more than £400,000 from his own party.

At the same time he was married to Nicola Sturgeon, who became Scotland’s first minister in November 2014 and served until March 2023

Murrell, a once respected man who seemingly had everything, is now facing a lengthy prison term.

His downfall is truly staggering.

We're now getting a real sense of things we haven't heard before.

Murrell made two false invoice claims for expenses from the party between January 2019 and September 2020.

One, for £12,042 from Apple, was for an “Apple processor”, however no item was ever purchased.

A second invoice, for £2,478 from a company called Manufactum, was sent to party auditors, which Murrell said was for studio light fittings he had inadvertently paid for with his own credit card rather than the party card.

No such lights had been purchased, the advocate depute says.

An actual invoice found by police from the firm included a lawn aerator and garden edger, which were discovered in the garage of the home during a search.

A “modern doorbell” valued at £2,055 was not found.

The court has also heard how Murrell used his SNP card to pay a £30 parking ticket he had received at the Victoria hospital in Kirkcaldy.

Murrell used his card to pay the fine on 30 October 2019, having been issued with the ticket five days earlier.

Advocate Depute Alan Cameron KC lists off a "small sample of the total range of items purchased". These are:

• Items from Montblanc worth £24,342.60
• Items from Smythson, a retailer of luxury stationery, leather goods, diaries and fashion products, worth £24,495.50
• Items from Dyson worth £6,085.86
• Items from Le Creuset worth £5,319.28
• Coffee machines worth £8,991.65